Special Announcements

Now you can buy your tickets online!

The Music Box Theatre has developed a new ticketing solution and now tickets can be purchased for most screenings online! As always, you can visit our Showtimes page (by clicking above) and see any upcoming screenings we have scheduled. Generally, the full showtime schedule is published on Wednesdays for the following Friday through Thursday. A partial schedule may be available further in advance for special events.

Meals & Deals

Fandor is where the film community comes together, where filmmakers and enthusiasts are advancing film culture, and where audiences are connecting with films across genres and decades. Fandor offers a broad library of independent and international cinema specially curated to make discovering new and classic favorites easy and accessible. Fandor’s member-based service allows audiences to watch unlimited movies wherever they are: on TVs, computers and mobile devices. Fandor showcases and supports the world’s best filmmakers and returns half its revenue to them. For more information, visit www.Fandor.com.

Candyality carries thousands of bulk items and sweet treats including gummies, sours, taffy, and more. Need M&Ms in 21 colors? We have that! How about your favorite flavor of Jelly Bellys? We carry over 30 flavors! Licorice? We’ve created Chicago’s first licorice bar offering a selection from many corners of the world.

Films of the Future is a weekly podcast recorded in Chicago, Illinois. It’s recorded in the present but you’re probably listening to it in the future so by then it will be the past. Even then, the movie may not have been released yet so there’s definitely some weird time stuff going on.

Since 1971, the Reader has served as Chicago’s political conscience, cultural guide, and music authority. We have thousands of reviews in our film archives; you can check them out and see what’s streaming on Hulu & Netflix with our Old Movies to Watch Now feature.

The GoLakeview Mobile App is designed to actively promote local business and community events through an easy to navigate, feature rich App. The useful tool for travelers & local residents is available for download on Apple iTunes & Android Market. The App is brought to you by the Lakeview & Lakeview East Chambers of Commerce

The University of Chicago Graham School of Continuing Liberal and Professional Studies serves as a bridge to a broad local, national, and international community of adult learners who wish to study at one of the best universities in the world.

Founded in 2009 by Nicole and Stephan Outrequin Quaisser, LM Restaurant Group is the unifying force behind Bistronomic, Brasserie by LM, Cafe Creme, Troquet River North and LM Catering. What started as a single concept, named after the couple’s two children, Luc and Mary, LM Restaurant Group is now synonymous with authentic French cuisine in Chicago. Each unique concept aims to provide a true French dining experience while showcasing a range of French fare in an approachable way. Additionally, all restaurants offer an array of private dining options guaranteed to make any gathering a success.

Athenaeum Theatre Productions is firmly committed to providing the Chicago non-profit performing arts community a welcoming shared space to incubate new projects and collaborations by providing high quality and below cost performance, rehearsal, office and reception space supported by a staff of theatre professionals.

The Mercury Theater Chicago, your neighborhood playhouse, is now playing the Tony Award winning AVENUE Q, a gut-bustlingly hilarious modern musical focusing on a group of unique 20-somethings making their way in the big city, seeking their purpose in life.

Lagunitas is coming to Chicago! Well, they are already here…. but soon their new brewery, taproom, and restaurant will be open in Pilsen. Until then, grab a beer on your way into a screening at the Music Box Theatre (assuming you are 21 and responsible enough to handle yourself during a screening)

Music Box August/September 2015

Battleship Potemkin at The Music Box Theatre

On March 4th, The Music Box Theatre started showing Battleship Potemkin with a fully restored 35mm print and the original orchestral score by Meisel.

The story of The Battleship Potemkin is based in reality, as the crew of the real battleship of the same name rebelled against their oppressive Tsarist officers. The mutiny on the ship coincided with the Russian Revolution of 1905 and helped usher in the Russian Revolution of 1917. The film itself does not shy away from themes of revolution and political upheaval, and does not hide its nature as a propaganda film. Does this dampen its place in film history? Not at all!

On March 4th, The Music Box Theatre started showing Battleship Potemkin with a fully restored 35mm print and the original orchestral score by Meisel.

The story of The Battleship Potemkin is based in reality, as the crew of the real battleship of the same name rebelled against their oppressive Tsarist officers. The mutiny on the ship coincided with the Russian Revolution of 1905 and helped usher in the Russian Revolution of 1917. The film itself does not shy away from themes of revolution and political upheaval, and does not hide its nature as a propaganda film. Does this dampen its place in film history? Not at all!

Battleship Potemkin’s most famous and memorable scene is known as “The Odessa Steps”. While the events of this sequence have no historical foundation, it is still haunting and emotionally powerful. The scene is so embedded in our culture that, even as a young child, I’d emulate it by letting a play shopping cart with a doll in it roll down the driveway and try to catch it… and I hadn’t seen the film by then! The Odessa Steps are parodied and praised so often that they have even found their way into shows a child would be watching.

But, let’s stray from the usual Battleship Potemkin discussion of The Odessa Steps and focus on its overall impact as a film. While Eisenstein’s editing was not a total success with audiences, it certainly pulls on a person’s heartstrings. Quick cuts between shots of marching soldiers and fleeing civilians make you feel sympathy for the latter; longer takes of sailors’ quarters and rotting meat coupled with officers who see nothing wrong with anything make you feel the growing frustration of the sailors. Shots of lion statues, at first laying down, then rising, then roaring and looking shocked mirror the events occurring in front of them, as if they are reacting as the crowd. Images of machinery working mirrors work done by humans, and so on and so forth.

In Battleship Potemkin, every image means something. There is not a single shot or cut that is meaningless or there simply to add minutes to its runtime. That is what montage filmmaking really is – putting together images that mean something and relate to each other that otherwise would not. The film is short but does not skimp on message or meaning as each shot is specifically chosen both for its emotional impact and its ability to move the story ahead.

The films photography is breathtaking and the editing is outstanding. Modern audiences are now used to quick cuts and montage, but in the 1920s it was much less common. Battleship Potemkin was groundbreaking, and its influences on filmmakers are far-reaching. Political stances aside, the film is powerful and extremely well done. The new print looks fantastic and the score sounds incredible. If you miss it in theaters but have interest in film history or history in general, check this movie out.

Meghan Buckner is a digital cinema graduate of DePaul University and has been a front of house staff member at the Music Box since December 2009